1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a portable support system for a basketball goal assembly. More particularly, the present invention is related to a portable water-filled base for use in supporting a basketball goal system employing a unique design enabling it to be moved when filled with water.
2. Technical Background
As the game of basketball has increased in popularity, a greater number of people have purchased basketball goals for use at their homes. Such goals are typically permanently mounted such that the driveway of the home serves as the basketball court, as few homes have sufficient land surrounding the home to dedicate space for exclusive use as a basketball court.
In some instances, locating where to mount a basketball goal can pose some difficulties. For example, at some homes, permanently mounting a basketball goal next to the driveway could provide a risk to traffic in the driveway, resulting in danger or damage to both automobiles and the goal system.
In some cases, the only viable location for mounting a basketball goal is in a location where permanently mounting a goal cannot be easily accomplished. Such a location may be where there is concrete or asphalt on the ground; thus, to mount the goal would require breaking a hole in the concrete or asphalt and then repairing the hole after the pole has been affixed in the ground. Such a procedure could be expensive and would most likely leave the driveway appearing unsightly.
Permanently installed outdoor basketball goals suffer from other disadvantages as well. Because they are permanently mounted, they are generally exposed to the weather throughout the entire year. Constant exposure to the weather can cause the goal system to prematurely wear by promoting oxidation. Premature oxidation can be particularly troublesome in goals having moving parts, such as goals that employ adjustable height or breakaway goal mechanisms. Constant exposure to the weather can cause these mechanisms to prematurely fail.
Even permanently mounted basketball goals utilized in indoor environments suffer from some disadvantages. For example, a typical school has a gymnasium which must serve many purposes. Having several basketball goals permanently mounted for use in the gymnasium may preclude or at least interfere with certain other activities. On formal occasions, objection may be made to the appearance of permanently mounted basketball goals.
In response to these and other disadvantages inherent in permanently mounted basketball goals, some designs of portable basketball goals have been developed. In order for a portable goal to be effective, sufficient weight must be employed to maintain the goal in a generally rigid position for use in playing the game of basketball. Hence, some portable designs utilize a great deal of weight, making the goals particularly difficult to move and possibly requiring the assistance of several people to set up or remove the goal. Additionally, such designs can be prohibitively expensive for people desiring to purchase one for use at their home.
Some prior-art designs have utilized removable weights, such as sand bags or metal weights, for use on the support structure. A principal disadvantage to the use of these types of removable weights is that they can be extremely heavy. While the support and the goal systems employing such designs may be easier to move, the weights are not. Some such designs, in an attempt to minimize the amount of removable weights required, are extremely large and bulky because they employ long lever arms in order to increase the effective weight of the removable weights.
In an attempt to make a portable basketball goal that would be ideal for use at home, some designs have employed a water-filled base. Such goals can be easily moved to a desired location where the base is then filled with water, thereby providing sufficient weight to maintain the goal in a generally rigid position for use in playing basketball. When it is desired to move the goal, the water is emptied out and the goal moved. The principal advantage of such a goal is in the use of water. Water is inexpensive, plentiful and convenient to use.
Such water-filled goal designs do suffer from some disadvantages, however. Having to fill and empty the goal each time the goal is to be set up or moved requires time and is an inconvenience. This procedure is particularly difficult if the goal is being used indoors.
Additionally, because water has a density of approximately 8.3 pounds per gallon, several gallons of water are required to effectively support the goal in a generally rigid position. Thus, when emptying the water out of the goal, precautions have to be taken to ensure that the water is properly directed so it does not cause damage to the home or other surroundings. Also, the utilization of a water-filled base presents the hazard that the base receptacle or container aspect could be broken if the water within the base freezes and expands.
An almost universal disadvantage to the use of any portable basketball goal is that they are difficult to store. A standard height basketball goal is ten feet high, with the backboard extending upwardly approximately two more feet. Few people have garages or storage sheds that will accommodate an apparatus that is 12 feet high. Thus, such portable goals are usually stored in a horizontal position. Of course, storing a basketball goal system in a horizontal position takes up substantial floor space. Some garages or storage sheds do not have sufficient floor space to store a goal, forcing the owner to store the goal outside, thereby eliminating some of the advantages of the portable goal system.
A design flaw associated with some portable goal systems is that the pole onto which the backboard and goal assembly is secured is disposed at an angle. This is generally done to provide sufficient horizontal distance between the base, which generally extends outwardly in all directions from the pole, and the backboard. If someone wants to retrofit this portable base and pole for use with a backboard and goal they already own, it could be difficult to mount the backboard and goal assembly to a pole disposed at an angle.
Most basketball goals are designed to be secured to a vertical surface. For example, most adjustable goal systems, such as those disclosed and claimed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,781,375 and 4,805,904, require a vertical mounting surface. Of course, adapters may be employed, but they would unduly add to the cost and complexity of the system.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a portable support for a basketball goal system which utilizes water as a weight, but which can be easily moved by one person without having to drain the water out of the support.
It would also be an advancement in the art to provide a portable support for a basketball goal system which would permit the maximum vertical height of the basketball goal system to be decreased for storage purposes, thereby permitting the goal system to be stored in a generally upright position and facilitating storage of the system in a garage or storage shed.
Indeed, it would be an additional advancement in the art to provide such a support for a basketball system to which a pole could be connected such that the pole is disposed in a substantially vertical position, thereby providing a vertical support to which could be attached a backboard and goal assembly.
Such a device is disclosed and claimed herein.